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Others have predicted applications much farther out

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Quantum computing theoretically outperforms traditional

computers

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Uses could include materials science, new energy

By Max A. Cherney

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 5 (Reuters) -

Google aims to release commercial quantum

computing applications within five years, Google's head of

quantum told Reuters on Wednesday, in a challenge to Nvidia's ( NVDA )

predictions of a 20-year wait.

"We're optimistic that within five years we'll see

real-world applications that are possible only on quantum

computers," founder and lead of Google Quantum AI Hartmut Neven

said in a statement.

Real-world applications Google has discussed are related to

materials science - applications such as building superior

batteries for electric cars - creating new drugs and potentially

new energy alternatives.

Google's prediction arrives amid wider uncertainty about

when such a breakthrough will occur. Predictions from investors

and experts range from several years to at least two decades.

For decades, scientists have been discussing quantum

computing, which promises to deliver machines that are thousands

of times more powerful than traditional computers. Traditional

computers process information one number at a time, whereas

quantum computers use "qubits" that can represent several

numbers at once.

Governments and businesses have kept a close eye on

quantum computing's potential to disrupt

modern cybersecurity

and other fields such as finance and healthcare.

Quantum computing resembles artificial intelligence in

some ways. AI before ChatGPT's launch in 2022 was understood

mostly by scientists. Scientists had been quietly producing

breakthroughs to accelerate the field but there was no firm

understanding of when AI would be commercially useful.

TWO DECADES OUT

Nvidia's ( NVDA ) Jensen Huang has said that quantum computing is

much farther away than five years. At an analyst event at the

CES trade show in Las Vegas in January, Huang predicted

practical uses for quantum computers are about 20 years away.

"If you kind of said 15 years... that'd probably be on the

early side," Huang said, "If you said 30, it's probably on the

late side. But if you picked 20, I think a whole bunch of us

would believe it."

Huang's comments ripped about $8 billion in market value

from a handful of quantum computing stocks. The sector was given

a boost in December when Google announced it had cracked a key

challenge in the field with its new chips.

Google has been working on its quantum computing program

since 2012 and has designed and built several quantum chips. By

using quantum processors, Google said it had managed to solve a

computing problem in minutes that would take a classical

computer more time than the history of the universe.

Google's quantum computing scientists announced another step

on the path to real world applications within five years on

Wednesday.

In a paper published in the scientific journal Nature, the

scientists said they had discovered a new approach to quantum

simulation, which is a step on the path to achieving Google's

objective.